A guide to birding Sichuan
Sichuan makes for a fantastic birding destination. Within reasonably easy reach of Chengdu, and its international airport, lies an exciting diversity of birding habitat. A Sichuan birding tour can include the farmland and rivers of the Sichuan basin, sub-tropical mountain forest at sites like Wawu and Emei and the spectacular Tibetan Plateau mountain ranges of the west with their rolling grasslands, and the sub-alpine forest. The geographic placement of Sichuan also promotes great birding. Lying in central China - situated in a biological transition zone where the East and Central Asian zones of the Palearctic border with the Indo-Malayan ecozone, – its birds are a rich mix of temperate and sub-tropical species.
Sichuan can boast some of the richest levels of biodiversity found in the Palearctic. For birders, the province contains one of China’s richest list of endemics.
China Endemics found in Sichuan
Using current splits we can arrive at the following list of endemics that could be found on the normal Sichuan birding circuit that takes you on a route that could include the following sites – Emei, Longcanggou, Wolong, Balang, Mengbi, Ruoergai, Baxi, Jiuzhaigou, Wanglang, Tangjiahe and Chengd
List of China endemics found in Sichuan
Severtzov's Grouse Bonasa sewerzowi Endemic – local, Baxi, Mengbi, Jiuzhaigou area, Wanglang
Verreaux's Monal Partridge Tetraophasis obscurus Endemic – fairly widespread in Alpine areas – often heard
Chinese Monal Lophophorus lhuysii Endemic – very local – Balang – also known from Moxi, Baxi and Jiuzhaigou areas
White Eared-Pheasant Crossoptilon crossoptilon - as good as endemic, possibly this species is found in Myanmar – Balang, Menbi and Kangding areas
Blue Eared-Pheasant Crossoptilon auritum Endemic - North Sichuan, Baxi, Jiuzhaigou areas, Wanglang
Reeves's Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii Endemic – recorded in N Sichuan
Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus Endemic – Wolong, Balang, Pingwu Park
Pere David's Owl Strix davidi Endemic – uncommon, Alpine areas
Swinhoe’s Minivet Pericrocotus cantonensis breeding endemic – fairly widespread in the Sichuan Basin
Kessler’s Thrush Turdus kessleri Breeding endemic – common of the Plateau
Chinese Thrush Turdus mupinensis Breeding endemic – local, most easily seen in the Jiuzhaigou area
Crested Tit-Warbler Leptopoecile elegans Endemic – fairly widespread in western alpine forest
Sichuan Bush Warbler Locustella chengi – Breeding endemic – Longcanggou, Emei, Wolong
Alpine Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus occisinensis a split from Tickell’s, breeding Endemic - widespread
Chinese Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus yunnanensis Breeding endemic – widespread
Sichuan Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus forresti Breeding endemic – widespread
Emei Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus emeiensis Breeding endemic – widespread but local
Sulphur-breasted Warbler Phylloscopus ricketti Breeding endemic – widespread but local
Claudia's Warbler Phylloscopus claudiae Breeding endemic – widespread
Martens's Warbler Seicercus omeiensis Breeding endemic – widespread
Alstrom's Warbler Seicercus soror Breeding endemic – widespread
Brown-chested Jungle-Flycatcher Rhinomyias brunneata Breeding endemic – Uncommon, recorded at Emei
Chinese Blue-throated Flycatcher Cyornis glaucicomans Breeding endemic – widespread
Rufous-headed Robin Luscinia ruficeps Breeding endemic – rare, JZ only.
Blackthroat Luscinia obscura Breeding endemic – historic records – regular vagrant/passage
Firethroat Luscinia pectardens Breeding Endemic – Local,Wolong, Balang, Erlang
Pere David's Laughingthrush Garrulax davidi Endemic – Ruoergai area, Baxi, Songpan area
Sukatschev's Laughingthrush Garrulax sukatschewi Endemic – Baxi and Jiuzhaigou areas
Barred Laughingthrush Garrulax lunulatus Endemic – Wolong, Balang, Jiuzhaigou area, Moxi
Giant Laughingthrush Garrulax maximus Endemic – Balang, Mengbi, Baxi, Jiuzhaigou area
Elliot's Laughingthrush Garrulax elliotii Endemic - widespread
Emei Shan Liocichla Liocichla omeiensis Endemic – Emei, Wawu, Erlang area
Rufous-tailed Moupinia Moupinia poecilotis Endemic – Erlang, Moxi, Kanding Area
Gold-fronted Fulvetta Alcippe variegaticeps Endemic – Erlang, Longcanggou, Loujunshan
Chinese Fulvetta Fulvetta striaticollis Endemic – Balang, Mengbi, Baxi, Juizhaigou, Moxi
Three-toed Parrotbill Cholornis paradoxus Endemic – Longcanggou, Emei, Wolong, Moxi
Spectacled Parrotbill Sinosuthora conspicillat Endemic - Baxi, Jiuzhaigou, Tangjiahe
Gray-hooded Parrotbill Sinosuthora zappeyi Endemic - Longcanggou, Erlang
Przevalski's Parrotbill Sinosuthora przewalskii Endemic – very rare and difficult to find. Formerly at JZ but then disappeared after bamboo die-off – now only recorded at Tangjiahe in N Sichuan
Chinese Wren-babbler Pnoepyga mutica Endemic – new split – Loncanggou, Moxi, Emei, Wolong
White-browed Tit Poecile superciliosa Endemic – Ruoergai Grasslands
Sichuan Tit Poecile weigoldicus Endemic - fairly widespread alpine areas around treeline
Pere David's Tit Poecile davidi Endemic – Longcanggou, Moxi, Jiuzhaigou
Yellow-bellied Tit Slyviparus venustulus Endemic – Widespread at lower altitudes
Sooty Tit Aegithalos fuliginosus Endemic – Wolong, Jiuzhaigou, Pingwu, Tangjiahe, Wanglang
Przewalski's Nuthatch Sitta przewalskii Endemic – Rilong, Mengbi, Baxi, Jiuzhaigou area, Erlang (west side)
Yunnan Nuthatch Sitta yunnanensis Endemic – had this bird in the alpine forest around Yajiang, otherwise just on the Sichuan side of the SW border with Yunnan
Sichuan Treecreeper Certhia tianquanensis Endemic – Longcanggou (uncommon), Moxi, Wolong, Wanglang
Sichuan Jay Perisoreus internigrans Endemic – Mengbi, Baxi, Jiuzhaiggou area
Red-billed Starling Sturnus sericeus Breeding endemic – fairly widespread
Slaty Bunting Latoucheornis siemsseni Endemic – Wolong, Jiuzhaiggou, Tangjiahe, Pingwu
Pink-rumped (Stresemann's) Rosefinch Carpodacus eos Endemic
Three-banded Rosefinch Carpodacus trifasciatus Breeding endemic
Sharpe's Rosefinch Carpodacus verreauxii Endemic – proposed as a split from Spot-winged Rosefinch we see this bird at Wolong, Erlang and Moxi – High alpine forest
Przevalski’s Finch Urocynchramus pylzowi Endemic – Ruoergai Grasslands, very local
Zappey’s Flycatcher Cyanoptila cumatilis Breeding endemic – Tangjiahe, Pingwu Park
I’ve excluded two splits that have been suggested as China endemics – Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch and Chinese White-browed Rosefinch – since both birds occur in reports from Mongolia.
For those who are willing to travel off the normal Sichuan birding route, there are more endemics to be found -
Sichuan Partridge Arborophila rufipectus Endemic – Laojunshan in the far south of Sichuan, but also slightly west of this area in Daliang Shan region, Dafengdin Nature Reserve
Biet's Laughingthrush Garrulax bieti Endemic – South West Sichuan close to Yunnan border
Silver Oriole Oriolus mellianus Endemic – another goody that’s been found in South Sichuan in the Daliang Shan region.
Tibetan Babax Babax koslowi Endemic – recorded in NW Sichuan – must be around the Sichuan/Qinghai border,